By: Datuk John Lo
IN recent years, the US has been behaving like a 2nd rate rogue superpower. It has gone against all the rules of the international rule-based order that it has authored for all other countries to follow and to obey. Any defiant country against this so called international ruled-order would invite the wrath of USA and its six partners from the 7G grouping and/or Nato. Either solely from USA or in concert with its allies, the defiant country can expect a variety of punishments from market exclusion, to trade sanctions, subtle sabotage, military intervention, regime change and the worst, invasion and bombing like in the Middle East countries. USA has dished out all sorts of unsavoury dirty tactics as punishments at will because it was the sole superpower. Most of the time, it ignored the UN charter. In the case of Iraq, USA and UK manufactured lies of WMD [Weapon of Mass Destruction], bombed and destroyed the country. They eventually hanged Saddam Hussein in the name of their deceits. Most of these unruly and unlawful behaviour perpetrated by the US happened after the fall of the Soviet Union. USA became the world despot and at the same time, preaching the virtues of democracy!USA has been too much of a busy body acting arbitrarily as the world’s policeman in the last 50 years, thinking that it could steamroll its will with mighty military power. Like all other imperialistic powers that have fallen and relegated into the dust bin of history, the American rot started from within.
Unknowingly or otherwise, USA began to mismanage its own country, its economy and worst of all, it has failed to look after its own citizens. Blaming China is barking at the wrong tree, to cover its own failures.Successive presidents and leaders in Congress are no fools. They can see the American decline. Only they pretend not to know. Examples of poor and bad economic management are now abundantly clear. Likewise, American reputation is down the chute. First is the social great divide. The gap between the rich and poor is growing bigger. USA glorifies and adores the wealthy but it has ignored the poorest in society. USA has the largest number of homeless people sleeping in the street. The biggest number is in wealthiest state of California. When a country, no matter how rich or how strong militarily, has failed to look after its own people, the rot has started. The American system is pushing more Americans into poverty. The Chinese have lifted 800 million out of poverty. Its middle class is about the same as the US population!Second, does not matter whether the Democrats or Republicans are in power. Their political fights are for show only. It is all “wayang kulit”. The corporations behind the military industrial complex are the puppet masters. It is all about money for the few behind the military industry complex, in the White House and Congress. Driven by greed of both political parties, the American government, over the 50 years, has spent trillions in wars but has not won even one! It is not winning a war. It is the profit that they hanker after. All the money spent on war could have been spent, like China, on the poor Americans, on its crumbling infrastructures or to look after the homeless.Third, in spite of the trillions spent on fighting wars, USA has never got the will to actually fight. It is OK playing dirty tricks, underhand tactics or stirring up trouble like the Taiwan issue. It is good at sailing its mighty aircraft carriers to the shores to bully defiant countries. Its records of winning a war is dismay at best since WW2. It did not succeed in the Korean war in the 1950s, with tail between its hind legs, USA ran away from fighting the Vietnamese rag tag soldiers despite its almighty firing power after 20 years.
USA has dropped millions of tons of bombs there. History repeated itself when Biden had to order a messy, shameful, humiliating retreat from Afghanistan’s rag tag fighters after [again] 20 years of fighting.
In all the countries that USA has intervened or interfered, it has left nothing but miseries, wreckage, poverty and cases of human rights abuses. Various American presidents from Democratic and Republican Parties should be tried for war crimes for their inhuman treatment in Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran. Millions in the middle east have died. Poor small little Cuba has suffered untold miseries at the hands of USA for more than 60 years just because it has refused to obey the American dictates.
Fourth, the American national debt is a national shame. It has gone through the roof at more than USD30 trillion. Yes, Biden and Congress speaker have agreed to increase the debt ceiling. But how long can the American Government keep on increasing its debts. Surely a time will come when the world will say enough is enough. Why would any country want to hold USD and be at the mercy of USA?
Fifth, USA has made its biggest mistake that will spell the end of its hegemony and its position as the sole super power. It is well and fine to bully, to bomb small and weak countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. They do not have military or economic power to repel. But they have kept the inhuman American treatments in their hearts.
The American leaders must have their heads examined if they think they can take on Russia and China at the same time. Not even with the support from its vassal states in NATO and G7.
The Russian/Ukraine war and the American containment of China have been the catalyst to hasten its decline. USA and Nato thought they could destroy the Russian economy within weeks. It has hijacked more than USD300 billion of Russia reserves, imposed round after round of sanctions, supplied arms to Ukraine endlessly. USA tried forcing China, India, South Africa and other countries to condemn Russia to no avail.
Sixth, the American Government has pulled out all the tricks to contain China. The Chinese economy is still racing ahead at 5pc compared with 1pc, less or even negative in the collective West. Germany is officially in depression now.
Seventh, the final nail to the American superpower coffin is the de-dollarization of the USD. China has very cleverly initiated her foreign policy of assistance and non-interference in other countries as compared to American threats and coercion. China’s One Belt and Road is an all-round winner. USA and the collective West have been trying hard to put fear of the “Chinese debt trap” into the minds of recipient countries to no avail. They have seen through the veil of hypocrisy of USA and other ex-colonial masters from EU.
Eighth, the collaboration of the BRICS block of emerging countries is another major blow to USA and the G7 countries. Few very significant are happenings: The BRICS are pursuing an economic direction independent of USA and the collective West. They are on track to de-dollarize the USD and introduce a new international currency based on gold and commodities. Also, an international bank and a new system of payment settlement that will rival IMF, World Bank and SWIFT. There will be a new financial order. USD is based on nothing. USA’s biggest headache is that Saudi Arabia and most of the oil producing countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America are queuing up to join BRICS. USA’s Armageddon as the sole super power has arrived.Ninth, if USA is indeed as strong as it wants the world to believe, then it should face China alone in a fair and square “one on one” competition. USA is exhibiting its weakness unashamedly by coercions and marshalling the assistance of the G7 countries against China. Even then, China’s economy is still growing strong at 5pc. It is best for USA to accept that its days of being the No. 1 superpower has been eclipsed by the rise of China. The multi-poplar world is already here. The American foreign policy model of using threats, bullying and bombings is grossly dated. The day when USA can demand submission from all countries is history. Even some small African countries have the courage to ask USA to fly kites. USA should follow China’s role as the peace maker like in the Saudi and Iran case. No point to create trouble and play one country against another. Only USA and its vassal states believe all the propaganda against China and Russia. USA better stop thinking like cowboy John Wayne who could shoot dead Red Indians at his will. John Wayne may be an American hero. To the world nowadays, he was just a lawless murderer of the weak and defenceless.
Source: Daily Express
